Please don't dismiss the single fin as some sort of retro pose. We believe that they provide a whole new experience to most modern surfers, a ride defined by flowing speed, by using the rail rather than the fin cluster, by trim rather than pump. The rider has to really surf, to find the lines that put the board into the waves' power zones and to turn rather than to hack. Our benchmark is the great Michael Peterson, the original retro modernist and the master of flow. His intuitive design elements have found their way into all the boards featured along with many of the more contemporary tweaks and refinements. The result is, we hope, boards that provide a new experience, a new way to feel the wave.

MPegg

MPEGG 6'7" x 21" x 2.65" $850

Dave Parmenter's take on the stubby discs that MP was shaping and riding in the golden days of Kirra, but refined so that the wackier design elements have been left at the wayside. The plan shape has the width and thickness up front, straightening the rail line and giving serious power and projection from a smaller board, with the added bonus of easy paddling, a bottom with a slight hully convex that blends to subtle v in the clean releasing round tail, and the rails are softer, perfect for those carving turns. The combined result? Fast, flowing, forgiving and fun.

V6

V6 6'6" x 19.75" x 2.75" $850

aka the 'That 70's Board', this design has some wonderful pedigree. Dave Parmenter built the original to be ridden by Stephanie Gilmore as part of Andrew Kidman's 'Spirit Of Akasha' film. Andrew wanted to put the most talented female surfer we've seen in years on a classic high performance single fin shortboard, and Parmenter was obviously the man to build it. Dave combined a clean, contemporary plan shape with a flattish old school rocker, thicker rails and forward foil to give the board momentum and projection. Combined with the pivoty diamond tail and six deep channels for hold and drive, the end result exceeded everyone's expectations. Stephanie loved the board and surfed it with such finesse that Andrew created the limited edition book Singleto document the session and board, and it's become our iconic single fin- modern, supremely functional and allowing the rider to find new lines and new ways to surf a wave that owe more to the legacy of Fitzy, MP, Hawk or Abillera than they do to the identikit modern pump/hack/pump/slash mentality.

Smooth Glide

Smooth glide 7'10" x 21.75" x 3"

The name says it all really. Mick Mackie's single fin mid-length model, designed to provide that 'on well greased ball bearings' feel. It's simple enough- a clean, pintailed outline with the wide point up front and sublte bottom contours. There's magic in the rails too, foiled beautifully from the deck thickness into a more pinched classic hull style for those committed arcing turns. Mick describes the board as a 'light hull'- many of the classic characteristics but without the finickiness so prevalent in the seriously bladed boards. Smooth Glides have the width and float to make them a joy to paddle, and the tuning to make them a joy to ride.